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The Black Rabbits

About The Black Rabbits

Asheville, NC

The Black Rabbits formed on a hot winters night in Orlando by brothers Jetson & Skyler Black. Little did they know at the time that what they were creating would take on the essence of that warm winter night. “Our music is a bit of an oxymoron.” says lead vocalist Jetson. “It’s loud yet soft, edgy yet pure, it has retro elements and modern ones, it’s both serious and playful at the same time.” Consisting of the two brothers along with bassist Yuki Tong and organist Kimberly Drakeley the group accompanies a mix of classic and alternative indie rock elements with influences such as The Who, The Pixies, Nirvana, and The Doors.

In early 2010, still virtually unknown, the band released their first debut EP. The self-titled EP peaked at #96 on the CMJ TOP 200 and stayed on the charts over the summer along side huge bands such as The Flaming Lips & The White Stripes. As their EP climbed the college radio charts The Black Rabbits scrapped together what cash they could and toured the east coast. During this time the band garnered some mainstream attention that led to them playing the Grammy showcase in Orlando, interviewed by MTV, featured on Fox News, and being placed on various television shows across the networks. One popular indie blog BoomBoomChik writes, “This group is distinct in its ability to mix moods, showcased especially in the track “Hypno Switch”, with dark lyrics balanced against a bouncy chorus that is easily hummable."

All the positive attention lead to a meeting with producer and former drummer of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Stan Lynch. The Black Rabbits finished recording their first full-length album, Hypno Switch with Stan in mid 2011. Jetson reached out to hypnotist, artist, and writer Melvin Powers to use artwork from his book, Advanced Techniques of Hypnosis, published in 1948. Melvin loved the idea and agreed to the let the band use his artwork which lead to the much talked about cover of the album. As The Black Rabbits toured the east in support of their album. The reviews were piling up and they were all extremely positive. "Hypno Switch is refreshing, just like the first time you heard The White Stripes blasting out of your radio." writes Stereo Subversion. Pacific Sunwear caught on to The Black Rabbits and started playing the album in all their stores across the US. The Gap also took notice and included the song Hypno Switch on their 2011 Holiday Mixtape.

In early 2012 The Black Rabbits planned their next tour, but things quickly got intolerable on the road. Shortly into the tour Skyler and Kim left forcing the group to seek out new members. Jetson contacted some of his old friends from various bands. Alex Budzilek from Favoretta and Emma Branch from Rabbit! Rabbit!, both long time friends of the group, joined The Black Rabbits. The group released a 4-song EP, Concussion Grenade, in late 2012 in preparation for their next full-length record Requiem For A Princess to be released in 2013.